AIDAN SMITH-FAGAN WRITES — After 20 years of war, the Biden administration finally ended the US presence in Afghanistan. And by the end of this year, the US role in Iraq – the second of the America’s 9/11 wars- will be reduced as well. Last July, President Biden announced that…
Full Article UNITED STATES: AS AMERICA ENDS COMBAT OPERATIONS IN IRAQ, WILL BIDEN MOVE TO A FULL MIDDLE EAST WITHDRAWAL?
TOM PLATE WRITES — The agony in Afghanistan makes for many sorrows. Beyond the scenes of chaos at Kabul airport is the unseen anguish of all those US veterans back home who are dealing with various psychological and physical traumas and are now especially unproud of their country; of families…
Full Article AFGHANISTAN AND BEYOND: CHINA MUST LEARN FROM US HUBRIS AND BLUNDERS
AIDAN SMITH-FAGAN WRITES — Japan’s Defense and Deputy Prime Ministers have both recently affirmed their government’s willingness to defend Taiwan in the event of an invasion from the Chinese mainland. Those statements also coincided with a recent report from the Financial Times detailing joint US-Japanese military exercises in the hotly…
Full Article DIRE STRAITS: JAPAN, THE U.S. AND THE FUTURE OF TAIWAN
TOM PLATE WRITES — We patriotic Americans usually call it Memorial Day weekend, but sometimes the barbecues and beer throw memory off base, as if the holiday on the last Monday of every May signifies no more than the winding down of a 72-hour party. On the Saturday of Memorial…
Full Article US-CHINA RELATIONS: AN AMERICA ALL TOO EXPERIENCED IN WAR MUST TAKE STOCK
LAMA ALTAHER WRITES – Although the recent military coup in Myanmar saw a democratically elected government overthrown, the events were reminiscent of the Arab Spring protests across Asia and Africa in 2010. The Myanmar military junta has a long history of using excessive force to crack down on protests, which…
Full Article MYANMAR: STOP THE STEAL. RESPECT DEMOCRATIC ELECTIONS
TOM PLATE WRITES — The filling of key policy positions in the incoming Biden administration proceeds apace. But so far, none of the announced or expected top-level appointees proffer particular savvy or expertise about Beijing. The designated Biden secretary of state is Antony Blinken, whose dedicated career competence and sensible style…
Full Article US-CHINA RELATIONS: BIDEN’S AMERICA & XI’S CHINA MUST EVOLVE BEYOND MUTUAL DEMONISATION
TOM PLATE WRITES — The truth about the swelling importance of the People’s Republic of China in the Asia-Pacific is that without America’s corresponding help, unintended as it was of course, the reversal of position would not have happened as quickly. Perhaps it all began in 1997, with the collapse…
Full Article US-CHINA RELATIONS: BEIJING CAN BE A CONTRIBUTOR TO PEACE AND PROSPERITY
ANDREA PLATE WRITES — Imagine how it feels. A young American male sees this cell phone text: “You’ve been marked eligible and must come to the nearest branch in the area for immediate departure to Iran.” That actually happened, this past week, to draft-age men across America. The text was…
Full Article DRAFT SCAM: THE ARMY TAKES DEAD AIM AT PHONY RECRUITMENT TEXTS
RYAN LIPPERT WRITES – Every summer, North Korea makes it known that they vehemently oppose the annual military exercises held by South Korea and the United States. This time, however, tensions may run slightly higher than they usually do during this time of the year. Last Monday, the armed forces…
Full Article NORTH KOREA: Tensions Flare Over Annual Military Exercise (Again)RYAN LIPPERT WRITES – Nothing says “stop it” like a country threatening to nuke its neighbor for taking part in a military drill. This is how North Korea responded to this year’s Foal Eagle exercise, which is an annual military drill held in South Korea between its forces and those from…
Full Article NORTH KOREA: That Time of the YearGABRIELLA CASTRO WRITES – The use of media propaganda to rally support is not a new phenomenon. However, using violent content to incite military backing is somewhat of a contemporary trend. Myanmar is a country that is still ripe with social conflict and unrest within its borders. Sites are…
Full Article MYANMAR: Blogging For Bloodshed
RYAN LIPPERT WRITES – It will take a lot more than a friendship with Dennis Rodman to bring peace to the Korean Peninsula. After a short period of reduced tension between North Korea and the international community, things are now back to the way they were. North Korea’s nuclear program…
Full Article NORTH KOREA: Ball Is In China’s CourtNorth Korea has been, and is increasingly becoming, a topic of heightened concern within the international community. In December, their government tested long-range rockets, violating international law. Although the North Korean government claims that the rockets were carrying satellites for their space program, the U.N. increased sanctions against North Korea…
Full Article NORTH KOREA: International Drama Queen.The Korea Times appears to be taking a very unbiased approach when reporting current events. In an article discussing a North Korean soldier’s desertion and a recent leak of military secrets, South Korea’s newspaper maintained a very neutral stance, focusing on stating concrete facts instead of relying on opinion-based writing…
Full Article SOUTH KOREA: Telling It Like It IsThe Korea Times, a major daily newspaper in South Korea, has been publishing less than favorable articles regarding Admiral Samuel Locklear, Commander of the U.S. Pacific Command. After being denied access to Locklear’s April 17th press meeting, the paper has released several “sensationalized” articles, such as “USFK Commander Too Media…
Full Article SOUTH KOREA: Newspaper Retaliates After Being Denied Access to Press MeetingIn a meeting with South Korean reporters, Japanese journalist, Yoji Gomi, a staff writer for Japan daily newspaper Tokyo Shimbun, claims that the late North Korean leader, Kim Jong-Il, did not have full control of his military. He further speculates that the military is probably behind the recent rocket launch plans…
Full Article NORTH KOREA: Japanese Journalist Gets Inside Look— Military More Independent than Expected